Method and apparatus for removing sample or test pieces from travelling sheet material



ma l t s oo.. s 2 u e .w 2

SCP 23, 1958 N. E. NORMAN ETA'.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FR REMOVING SAMPLE OR TEST PIECES FROM TRAVELLING SHEET MATERIAL Flled May 24, 1954 Sept. 23, 1958 E. NORMAN ETAL 2,853,133

A METHOD AND APPARATUS PoR Amm/ING SAMPLE oR TEST PIECES FROM TRAVELLING SHEET MATERIAL Filed May 24, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 nite i States atent O METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REMOVING SAMPLE R TEST PIECES FROM TRAVELLING SHEET MATEL Noel. Edward Norman, Ivanhoe, Victoria, and Richard Wilson Madderu, Belmont, Geelong, Victoria, Australla, assignors to Australian Paper Manufacturers Limited, South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, a company of New South Wales Application May 24, 1954, Serial No. 431,918 Claims priority, application Australia June 23, 1953 1i claims. (cl. 164-17) This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for removing sample or test pieces from moving sheet mater1al for the purpose of enabling various properties of the material to be ascertained or determined while the sheet is in motion during the course of manufacture or while it is undergoing some industrial treatment or processlng.

In the paper making art it is often desired to take samples from a travelling web of paper or board in order to ascertain the moisture content of the travelling web.. In cases where the web is travelling at medium or high speed, frequent and accurate determination of moisture content of the web at various laterally spaced positions although highly desirable has been impracticable.. Thus, it is very diicult or impossible to remove sample pieces from a travelling sheet in the wet condition without causing complete lateral rupture of the sheet whereupon a great deal of time and labour is required to re-thread the broken sheet through the machine. Sample pieces can be cut from the marginal edges of a travelling web by an experienced and skilful operator without causing breaks, but it is not possible to obtain sample pieces from various positions across the Width of the sheet.

Furthermore, with conventional sampling methods it is not possible to avoid loss of moisture from the sample pieces due to (a) handling of the sample piece prior to examination or the sealing thereof and/or (b) the interval that elapses between the time of actually removing the sample piece from the travelling sheet and the time of sealing the sample piece prior to the examination or test for moisture content. In this connection it will be appreciated that loss of moisture occurring between Vremoval of the sample piece and the sealing or examination thereof prevents accurate determination. The loss of moisture is comparatively rapid especially in the case of hot sample pieces taken from the web as it approaches the dry end of a paper making machine.

The present invention contemplates a method and also an apparatus or devices whereby the removal of sample pieces from any appropriate portion of a travelling web of sheet material or the like may be readily and conveniently effected without especial skill or experience on the part of the operator and without likelihood of the web being broken or torn.

The method involvescausing a missile having an endless cutting edge to be projected through the travelling web at such speed that a sample piece of predetermined size and shape can be removed from any desired part of the web without liability of the web being ruptured or torn. each sample or test piece and the sealing of it in such manner as to prevent any significant change in its condition pending examination.

While the invention has been devised more especially The method also proposes automatic capture of t asians for use in connection with testing the moisture content of paper or board while travelling in web form through the machine, and will be so described hereinafter, it is believed to be equally applicable in the manufacture or processing of plastics, textiles, metal foil and other sheet material where it is desired from time to time to ascertain certain conditions or properties of the material while it is in motion at more or less high speed. For example, in the case of plastic sheet it may be necessary or advisable for the operator to be able to ascertain periodically such things as the vapour permeability, or the caliper (uniformity of thickness) of the material without stopping or decreasing the speed of travel of the sheet.

The method of the inventio-n and the advantages thereof will be more readily appreciated from the following description and accompanying drawings relating to vari- Fig. l is a sectional view of a device according to one embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a part sectional View of another form of device.

Fig. 3 is a part sectional View of another form of device.

Fig. 4 is an end View of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of an adaptor which may be used for applying the missile in a pistol-like projector.

Thus, according to the embodiment of Fig. 1, the device includes a tubular member 2 connected by a pipe 3, with a source of compressed air or gas which may be admitted, under control of valve 4, into the chamber 6 of the tubular member 2. The latter may be interconnected by a quick releasable coupling 7 with another tubular member 8 within which the missile 9 is normally housed and within which the missile has a sliding t. Gaskets 11 may be interposed between the adjacent ends of the tubes 2 and 8 and a rupture disc 12 may be inserted between the two gaskets. Disc 12 may be cornposed of any suitable material such as paper, plastic iilm, metal foil, which will rupture at the required pressure which may, for example, range from say 30 to 60 lbs. per square inch.

The missile 9 may take various forms but will usually be of hollow cylindrical shape having a closing wall 13 towards its rear and having its forward end provided with two or more V-shaped recesses. The endless cutting edge 16 is appropriately sharpened.

In operation, when a predetermined pressure is reached in chamber 6, the disc 12 is ruptured and the missile 9 is projected at high speed from the housing 8 so as to travel through the travelling web 17 at any position of its width selected by the operator. The missile with the removed sample or test piece, which will in all probability come to rest against or near the closing wall 13, may be brought to rest in a box or like receptacle 18 disposed behind the travelling web. This receptacle may be charged with straw or other suitable material 19 which will cushion the impactof the missile.

By imparting sufficiently high velocity to the missile, it becomes unnecessary for the travelling web to be in contact with a backing member 0r support. The inertia of even this paper has been found suiiicient to result in a clean-cut sample piece being removed from the travelling web by the missile.

If the sample pieces are required for moisture determination or in cases where the sample might be detrimentally affected by exposure -or by the cushioning material, a protective foil or iilm 21 may be placed over or in front of the cushioning material so that after passing through the travelling web the missile then passes through the film or foil 21 so that a portion is cut therefrom and, in effect, seals the sample piece within the missile` Say 022" .Calibre die pistol beine provided with breeell.

and trigger meehanism'of any apriepfiete ferm- Thus feferriete Fig- 2, e barrel member .2.2. for housing the missilemey have, an externally screw threaded' neck .23'

at its rear'end for screwing into'an internal thread formed' in the fr-ont end of the pistol barrel 2 4. Normally,l the missile would be disposed within the barrel 22 as' seen in Fig. 2 from whichit is projected at high velocity upon, tiring of the pistol. ri'he forward end` portion of the,

barrelV 22 may have a series of Vent holes 2241 for the escape of the explo-sive gases.

It'will be appreciated thatv the action of the missile` when projected'ly the pistol of Eig. 2 is the same as when propelled by the device of Fig. 1.`

According' to another embodiment; the device is in the nature of afcaptive missile pistol. In such a case, the pistol may be of a similar nature to that of Fig. 2, with a boltand other parts applied to the pistol. Thus as seen in Fig. `3 a missile-housing barrel 22 as before mentioned may be screwed into the bore ofthe pistol and may be fitted with a guide member 26 for a bolt 27 extendingin the bore of the pistoland terminating at its rear in an `enlargement or head 28;

Encircling the bolt between its head 28gand the shoulder 29'formed` by the inner en d ofthe missile barrel neck` 23 asesina is a spring 31 adapted to be compressed by the boltv of the missile. The missile and the bolt-27 move together-` along the axis of theY pistol until such a position is reachedA that the spring- 31 isy compressed. At this position the missile will have been projected from the missile barrel 22. to such an extent that a clean cut of the travelling web willhave been made. The missile will also have moved forward past venting h-oles 22a in the-missile barrel, Vallowing spentexhaust gas from` the blank cartridgefto escape.; The-spring then returns the missile andboltto the initial position. Any gas which may be com pressed in thedevice by the returning missile acting as a piston may be vented through asmall hole 34l formedn in the pistol barrel. Y

The missile may be of the general form as previously described, but is preferably provided with a device forv retaining the` sample piece'within the leading part-ofg the missile pendingremovalj ofthe sample for examination. For'tlris purpose a stem -36 with a piercingpointmay advantageously be formed integralwith the nu-t'member 32 and project forwardly therefromso thatthefpiercing pointV is slightlyto the rear of the leading portions ofthe cutting edge of the missile. In addition a barb STmaybepivoted to the Istern 36 neary itspiercing point so that the ba-rb will pass-through the travelling-web in a collapsed condition and upon return motion of th-e missile will swing out-y wardly'from the stem 3 6-and withdrawl-the -sample-piecewith it.

Asindicatedin the drawings itis preferred tolemploya missile of circular ori cylindrical shapefor-easeof`fahrication and also because theresu-ltant circulanhole formed in the sheet material is least likely to cause such stress concentrations as would leadL to lateral ruptureor-.break--. age of the travellingrweb insubsequentstagesof manu-1.

facture or processing.

When it is desired to seal-thesample yfrom theea-tmos phere to avoidvloss of moisture5 oxidation or otherphenomena which. might-be deleterious,l asheet-.ofiimetalzf or plastic foil may be held behind the travelling web-being1 4 sampled sothat the missile pierces the travelling web and the sealing foil,` and then reverses its direction of motion so as to withdraw from the travelling web with the sample piece sandwiched or captive within the missile. In applying the invention for use With other kinds of pistol-like projectors, use may be made of an adaptor as illustratedin Eig., 5 which consists of a tubular member 3B!y havingv a. screw threaded portion 38ay at one end for" connection to the barrel of the pistol-like projector anda screw. threaded socketv pOltion 38]? at the other end. to` receive the screw threaded. neck v2?, of the missile barrel 22.

Itis to be understood that. a stro-ng spring could be emploved in. place.. of aas pressure (Fis` 1) or e-blank-eartridge (Figs. 2 and 3), a suitable. catch releasablesbyza trigger or the like being adapted to hold the spring in a compressed condition ready to expel the missile at high velocity frornfits, housing.. l

The invention enables sample orV test pieces to be removed from sheet material which may be moving at relatively high speed, say up to 1,00() feet per minute.v or even-higher: Sample pieces can be readily obtainedff'rom anydesired positions ofthe travelling web both length.- wise and transversely.

Where it is desired to test for moisture content,v the inventionpermirts,'of'highY accuracy as the sample or test piece may'fbe'sealed' immediately it is removed4 from the the traveling sheetat such velocity that' a sample piece..

off'the-sheetfcorresponding to the shape and size of, said'. cutting'edge is-clearly cut from the sheet without tearing.

the; sheet or-` interfering with its continued' travel;v andf.

automatically` capturing ,said sample piece withinthe.` missilecafterrit has beencut from the traveling sheet.

2. A` method of removing sample pieces from a travel! lingfweb ofjsheet material"comprisinggcontinuously moving `asheet 'off material past a projectile4 device .cont,ai `rn`ng ,v a `l'rol'lowhmissile having an endless cuttingedge.,projecting.' or tiring the missilev through the traveling sheet at such. velocity"that=a sample piece ofthel sheet corresponding to. shape and` sizeof vsaidV cuttingedge is clearly cut from` the s lietfand" automatically captured' within thek missile withouttearing thesheet or interfering with its continued traveli` 3*: A methodyaceording toi claim-` l; including the step. of# sealing each sample piece after ithas been cut from thel travelling sheet within the missile against l'oss of moisture or change uof physical properties.

4. A method according to'claim 1, wherein the missile isprojected1 completely through the travelling sheet from oneside to the other side andthe missile with the sample piece therein-isbroughtto rest-at the;lastmentioncdside oflthe-isheet: j

5;'- A`v methodfaecording' to; claim" 1; characterisedby' causingthemissile; afterith'asI cut'v the sample piece from the travelling sheet, to reverse its direction-of-"-rnotit n-sov thatg'theemissilewith-the -samplepiece retainedy therein-'ris withdrawn throughthesheet, and'th'en bringing themissile'" toresti with-the samplepiecefretained therein.

6r Afsmethodi accordingtoclaim f1 l, wh'ereina: sheet of." protectivemateri all isaarranged-l b el'iind theetravelling. sheet; f.: characterised ibyrcausing. the missileitozpass.` through saidf sheetsafter itfhasutra: sample piece: from`l the, travelling:

sheet; so thatfmpiecefof;saidfprotectivefmaterial.willlber.

removed from the sheet and adherefto'fthe adiacenhsnrgfaeofftheysample pieces..

7. A device for removing sample pieces from a travelling web of sheet material comprising a hollow missile having an endless cutting edge at its forward part, a barrel member adapted to slidably accommodate said missile, said barrel having means of attachment to a pistol-like instrument having manually controlled means for causing the missile to be projected from said barrel, means for automatically reversing the motion of the missile in said barrel, and a member carried by the missile for withdrawing material severed by said missile.

8. A device for removing sample pieces from a travelling web of sheet material, comprising a housing, a hollow missile in said housing having an endless cutting edge at its forward part, means to forcibly expel said missile from said housing, means including a spring for automatically reversing the motion of said missile subsequent to the action of said first mentioned means, and a barb on said missile to engage the sample material severed by said missile.

9. A device according to claim 8, wherein said missile is provided with a centrally located, longitudinally eX- tending, stem provided with a sharpened point adapted to pierce a travelling web, said barb being pivotally attached to said stem for penetration during forward movement of said missile and engagement with material pierced by said stem upon retraction of said missile.

10. In a device as set forth in claim 8, wherein the stem extends centrally and longitudinally of the missile and wherein said barb is pivoted to said stem adjacent its sharpened point.

11. An apparatus for removing sample pieces from a traveling web of sheet material comprising in combination, means for receiving the sample pieces, means for continuously moving the web of sheet material in front of said receiving means, a hollow missile of substantial depth from its forward end to its rear end having an endless sharpened cutting edge at its forward end and a transverse wall near its rear end, a barrel member adapted to slidably accommodate said missile, said barrel member having means for attachment to a pistol-like instrument, and said instrument having manually controlled means for causing the missile to be projected in free i'light from said barrel at such a velocity that it will cut with its endless sharpened cutting edge and capture against said transverse wall a piece from the traveling sheet without tearing the sheet or interfering with its continued travel, said piece being brought to rest within the said receiving means.

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